Obama Warns Congress To Avert The Sequester: 'This Is Not An Abstraction — People Will Lose Their Jobs'

President Barack Obama pressured Congressional Republicans to
take action to avert the spending cuts scheduled to take effect
next week as a result of the sequester this morning, telling the
nation in a press conference that the cuts are "not an
abstraction."

"People will lose their jobs.
The unemployment rate might tick up again," Obama said, appearing
in front of a slew of emergency responders.

He used the presence of the
first responders — whose jobs he said were on the line as a
result of the cuts — to issue a direct challenge to
Republicans.

"Are you willing to see a bunch of emergency responders lose
their jobs because you want to protect some special interest tax
loophole?" Obama said.

Obama said that the sequester "won't help the economy,
won't create jobs, and will mean hardship for a whole lot of
people."

"If Congress allows this meat-cleaver approach to take
place," Obama said, it will affect military readiness and shrink
crucial services. He warned that thousands of teachers and other
educators will be laid off. It will affect the FBI and other
emergency responders. He said the cuts will challenge the U.S.'s
ability to challenge threats to different parts of the
world.

House Speaker John
Boehner's responded to Obama's press conference by saying
that the President hasn't offered a credible solution to avert
the sequester.

“Washington Democrats’ newfound concern about the president’s
sequester is appreciated, but words alone won’t avert it,"
Boehner said. Replacing the president’s sequester will require a
plan to cut spending that will put us on the path to a budget
that is balanced in 10 years. To keep these first responders on
the job, what other spending is the president willing to cut?”

Obama chided Congress for
having "some manufactured crisis" "every three months around
here."

"We’ve got a few days — Congress can do the
right thing," he said.

Obama's statement comes upon
his return from a weekend trip to Florida and while Congress is
in recess until Feb. 25.